Motueka High School

Hosting a Student

Hosting an international student can be a rewarding experience for the whole family. Learn about other cultures and give your own children the opportunity to be exposed to other languages and customs. We have two main intakes with students arriving to Motueka in January and again in July. We are required to have English speaking homestays arranged at least 6 weeks prior to student’s arrival.

We are looking for warm welcoming families where students will feel at home and a part of your family. A family that can give the opportunity for different experiences. With the national parks on our doorstep, Motueka is the perfect place to ‘show off’ our relaxed outdoors kiwi lifestyle. All persons in the homestay who are 18 and over will be required to pass a police check. If you would like to apply to become a host family, please email Homestay Manager: Fiona Bryan at fiona.bryan@motuekahigh.school.nz

Information for Students

During the application process you will be asked to fill in a homestay application form. We will use the information you give us to find the most appropriate homestay available, so the more details the better.

Things that are useful to know are

If you have been in a homestay situation before?
Do you like to live with children?
A lot of NZ families have pets, do you like to live with animals?
Do you have any allergies?
What foods do you like?
What foods do you dislike?
What are your hobbies?

A few weeks before you arrive, you will be sent details about your host family and you will be able to contact them.

Your host family, and a representative from the school will meet you at the airport when you arrive.

While we do our best to match students to the most compatible host family, we understand that sometimes people just don’t blend well together. Most issues can be resolved with clear honest communication but occasionally everybody agrees a new host family is the best solution

What other students had to say about the homestay experience:

It is a great experience to stay with a different family than your own. It was a good way for me to see that there is not just one way to live. We went on a trip to the West Coast together and I got to meet great friends of my host family. I am definitely going to stay in contact. My host family was multicultural, (Tscheck, German, Japanese and Kiwi) which was amazing because I got to know something of other cultures too.

Leonie, Germany

Living with another host family is wonderful! You get to know other cultures and to experience what life without your own family looks like. But, sometimes, it can also be complicated and tiring. My favorite memories with my host family are the long night talks after dinner with chocolates, candies and coke… filled with laughter but also deep conversations.

Fabiola, Italy

Staying with another family is such a great way to experience the kiwi way of living. It is an awesome experience to live in a house with people you have never met before and it is surprising how fast the people and the town you know since just a few months feels like home already.

Charlotte, Germany

My exchange year in Motueka seemed almost too good to be real and was better than everything I could have imagined. I spent a year living in this beautiful place and experienced lots of amazing things. My host family is like a second family to me. They took me to many places and made me feel welcome and included. I made good friends from all over the world and got to try new things, for example: Sky diving, playing rugby, and travelling to stunning places. Of course, in the beginning it wasn’t easy being so far from home, but this exchange helped me to become independent and confident. It taught me to give everything a go and be open for new things.

Joella, Switzerland